Muhammad Ali Dead Following A Life Of Fighting Opponents In The Ring, And Racism Out Of It

Muhammad Ali, one of the flashiest, most outspoken athletes and activists of his time, has died at the age of 74.

The celebrated boxer who could "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee" won three world heavyweight titles and an Olympic gold medal during his career. Ali suffered for years from Parkinson's disease, and was hospitalized in Phoenix with respiratory problems earlier this week.

U.S. boxing great Muhammad Ali poses during the Crystal Award ceremony at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland in 2006. (Photo: Andreas Meier/Reuters)

Ali was born Cassius Clay Jr. in Louisville, Ky. in 1942. He was introduced to boxing at the age of 12.

Ali's parents had bought him a bike as a birthday gift, only for it to be stolen later. Ali reported the theft to a policeman named Joe Martin, telling him he planned on beating the thief. Martin told him he had better learn to fight first.

A boxing trainer outside his police work, Martin became Ali's first instructor.

The fight turned Ali into legend. The cocky fighter predicted he would win the fight against Liston who was a decade older, and famously summarized his plan of attack, telling media he would "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

Liston dropped out of the fight following the sixth round, after apparently sustaining a shoulder injury. Ali openly declared himself "the greatest."

It was around this time that the fighter joined Muslim group the Nation of Islam and changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali.

"Cassius Clay is a name that white people gave to my slave master," he explained. "Now that I am free, that I don't belong anymore to anyone, that I'm not a slave anymore, I gave back their white name, and I chose a beautiful African one.

After joining the group, Ali created controversy with statements calling for apartheid between black and white people.

Muhammad Ali listens to Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the group Nation of Islam in Philadelphia, Oct. 5, 1963. (Photo: Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images)

Ali was stripped of his boxing licence and heavyweight title in 1967, three years after winning it. He refused to fight in the Vietnam War after being drafted, saying he was a Muslim minister, and the war conflicted with his religious beliefs.

Ali was also banned from boxing, fined $10,000, and sentenced to five years in prison. That sentence was overturned three years later.

The year 1970 saw him return to the ring, defeating opponents Oscar Bonavena and Jerry Quarry in knockout bouts.

The following year, he took on Joe Frazier in what was deemed the "Fight of the Century." Ali taunted Frazier as an "Uncle Tom" in the lead-up to the fight.

But Frazier handed Ali his first loss as a professional fighter in the 15th round at Madison Square Garden.

Muhammad Ali lands a left hook knocking out George Foreman during the "Rumble in the Jungle" fight at the Mai 20 Stadium on Oct. 30,1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire. (Photo: The Ring Magazine/Getty Images)

It would all prove a set-up for the "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire, where he had a chance to take the heavyweight title away from favourite George Foreman.

Ali won the fight using a "rope-a-dope" technique that involved leaning against the ropes and averting Foreman's headshots before retaliating with strong rights.

He became a champion once again, in the eighth round.

Muhammad Ali at an event with former opponent Henry Cooper in 1984. (Photo by Doug McKenzie/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a condition that affects the nervous system — and has been linked to head trauma he endured during his boxing career.

He nevertheless remained a public figure. In 1990, he met with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to negotiate the release of American hostages. In 1996, he lit the cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Muhammad Ali lights the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. (Photo: Reuters)

Ali had nine children, including Laila, who became a boxer over her father's objections to women's participation in the sport.

Laila Ali posted a photo of her father with her daughter this week, in response to reports that the former champion was gravely ill after being hospitalized in the Phoenix-area for a respiratory ailment.

Sonny Liston lies out for the count after being KO'd in the first round of his return title fight by world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, Lewiston, Maine, May 25, 1965. (Hulton Archive / Getty Images)

In this 1954 file photo, boxer Cassius Clay is shown. Long before his dazzling footwork and punching prowess made him a three-time world heavyweight boxing champion known as Muhammad Ali, a young Cassius Clay honed his skills by sparring with neighborhood friends and running alongside the bus on the way to school. Ali turns 70 on Jan. 17, 2012. (AP)

In this Feb. 8, 1962 file photo, a young Muhammad Ali is seen with his trainer Angelo Dundee at City Parks Gym in New York. The three-time heavyweight boxing champion will celebrate a milestone birthday Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, when he turns 70. Ali will be surrounded by friends who are gathering Saturday evening, Jan. 14, for a birthday party at the Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville. (Dan Grossi, AP)

In this Nov. 15, 1962, file photo, young heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay, who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali, points to a sign he wrote on a chalk board in his dressing room before his fight against Archie Moore in Los Angeles, predicting he'd knock Moore out in the fourth round, which he went on to do. The sign also predicts Clay will be the next champ via a knockout over Sonny Liston in eight rounds. He did it in seven rounds. Ali turns 70 on Jan. 17, 2012. (Harold P. Matosian, AP)

American heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, circa 1970. The man in front of him is wearing a t-shirt printed with Ali's motto 'Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee'. (Chris Smith, Hulton Archive / Getty Images)

In this Sept. 3, 1960, file photo, Cassius Clay, right, 18-year-old from Louisville, Ky., throws a right at Tony Madigan of Australia, during the light heavyweight boxing semifinals at the Summer Olympic Games in Rome, Italy. Cassius Clay later changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Ali turns 70 on Jan. 17, 2012. (AP)

British pop group The Beatles, (L-R) Paul McCartney, John Lennon (1940 - 1980), Ringo Starr and George Harrison (1943 - 2001), pose for a photo with Cassius Clay (now Muhammad Ali), contender for the World Heavyweight Boxing title, at his training camp in Miami. Original Publication: People Disc - HU0064 (Keystone / Getty Images)

In this April 4, 1963 file photo, heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay is seen with his mother, Odessa Grady Clay, in a car outside their home in Louisville, Ky. The man who became the world's most recognizable athlete was a baby sitter, a jokester and a dreamer in the predominantly black West End neighborhood of Louisville where he grew up and forged lasting friendships while beginning his ascent toward greatness. Now, as the iconic boxer slowed by Parkinson's disease prepares to turn 70 next week, he's coming home for a birthday bash at the downtown cultural center and museum that bears his name. (H.B. Littel, AP)

In this Jan. 17, 1967 file photo, Muhammad Ali blows out the candles on a cake baked for his 25th birthday, in Houston. Ali's wife says the boxing great is still a "big kid" who enjoys his birthday parties. The three-time heavyweight champion turns 70 Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. He will be surrounded by friends Saturday night for a birthday party at the Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown. (Ed Kolenovsky, AP)

Muhammad Ali lights the first Olympic torch for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Dec. 4, 2001. The Olympic flame arrived in the US for the first time in six years, kicking off the Olympic Torch Relay, the ceremonial passing of the Olympic flame, throughout the United States. (Curtis Compton, AFP / Getty Images)